Role in Behavior and Identity

Groups exert sometimes dramatic, sometimes subtle influences on behavior.
These influences are sometimes beneficial and sometimes detrimental.
An understanding of the effect of groups on the individual sets the stage for
a deeper understanding of many facets of social life. One of the reasons for
the formation or joining of groups is the definition of the self. On a commonly
used questionnaire that requires a person to respond twenty times to
the question “Who am I?,” people tend to respond with references to some
sort of group membership, be it family, occupation, hobby, school, ethnic,
religious, or neighborhood. Groups help establish one’s identity, both for
one’s own benefit and for the benefit of others with whom one interacts.